Sebastian Vettel Test Drives His New Infiniti in Japan

Last year F1 Double World Champion Sebastian Vettel was appointed Infiniti's first ever Global Brand Ambassador. As part of that job he had to travel to Japan a few days before this weekend's Japanese GP in order to approve the first production models of a special edition Infiniti FX he co-designed.

According to Infiniti it is a unique collaboration between Vettel and Infiniti's SVP and Chief Creative Officer, Shiro Nakamura. The Infiniti FX Vettel Edition features a 420 hp 5.0-liter V-8 engine with F1-inspired technology including advanced aerodynamic devices and carbon fiber components. Vettel drove the prototype concept at the Goodwood Festival of Speed earlier this year. It is available from $156,000 (depending on country).

The Red Bull Racing star spent the day at Infiniti's global manufacturing plant in Tochigi. After a tour of the manufacturing process and a meeting with the engineers and factory staff behind the car's development, he went over to the Tochigi test track to put the special edition through its paces. He also test drove of a number of future Infiniti products currently being developed, giving valuable performance feedback to engineers and fellow test drivers.

Commenting on the event, Sebastian Vettel said: "It was great to get a look behind the scenes at Infiniti, meet some of the people involved and of course drive the car. In F1, the first few laps testing a new car are when you find out if it's quick or not. It was the same today and I'm pleased to say the Infiniti team have done an outstanding job. It really delivers on the vision I had – it's very fast, and a car that driving enthusiasts are going to enjoy. It was also good to be involved in the testing of some future products and to work with the Infiniti engineers to develop the performance further."